This invention is directed to a hydraulic-electric motor vehicle driven by a plurality of hydraulic fluid wheel drive units and a central hydraulic driver motor powered by an electric motor. More particularly, this invention is directed to such a vehicle providing for energy retrieval and storage enhancement. The invention is further directed to a vehicle having steerable drive wheels, wherein the central turbo rotator drive motor is hydraulically pressure linked to the steerable wheel hydraulic drive motors through high pressure rigid tubing having rotatable pressure-tight joints.
Suitable hydraulic rotator motors which are especially useful in the present invention are described in my previously issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,646, and especially suitable rigid tube joint linkages are further disclosed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 07/513,603, filed Apr. 24, 1990.
Although hydraulic drive mechanisms for vehicles have been previously suggested, including the use of electricity as the power source, as part of an increased interest in reducing the pollution created by the internal combustion engine, the problem often met with in such electrically driven systems is the short driving range before a recharging stop is required.